"What happens in Vegas"... Will likely end up on this site. Sorry, Las Vegas Chamber.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

When Personal Becomes Political

We have the personal. And we have the political. And now, we have a House (of Representatives) bumbling around with comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) in the balance.

So far, most House Republicans don't seem to be responding to the personal. So what about the political? We'll see this tested here in Nevada, as Ralston just caught this new House Majority PAC ad targeting Rep. Joe Heck (R-??!!).

Here's the English translation [...]:

UNIVISION CLIP: Republicans in the Capitol and in private conversations forecast a 'slow death' for immigration reform.

VOICEOVER: Congressman Heck and his extreme Republican friends are part of the problem. Heck voted to deport DREAMers – brought here as children. And has said he opposes the comprehensive immigration reform passed by the Senate. Tell Congressman Heck to stop siding with extreme Republicans blocking real immigration reform. House Majority PAC is responsible for the content of this advertising.

Constituents have been asking Rep. Joe Heck for reform all this year. But so far, all he's given back was a vote to deport DREAMers and psycho-babble on amending the Constitution to end birthright citizenship (??!!). Rep. Heck is angling hard to stay in the good graces of the 21st Century Know Nothings, but he seems to be forgetting about all the rest of his constituents.

So now, some CIR advocates are starting to play political hardball. Will he respond to that? Another national poll (this time ABC/Washington Post) shows broad support for CIR, and we've seen similarly strong numbers right here in Nevada. How much longer can Heck afford to ignore this?

So far, he and other House Republicans fear the wrath of the 21st Century Know Nothings above all else. What happens if/when they focus so hard on drinking enough "TEA" to avoid a primary fight that they forget about all the rest of us voting in the general election? Think about that.